Breed History
According to the Australian Labradoodles Association of America, the Australian Labradoodle breed dates back to the 1980’s and was initiated by Wally Conran of Royal Guide Dogs located in Victoria Australia. The intent was to create a breed that was allergy and asthma friendly with the temperament of a service dog. This journey was inspired by a vision impaired woman in Hawaii needed a Guide Dog which wouldn’t aggravate her husband’s allergies. Of the 31 Labradoodles bred at Royal Guide Dogs, a staggering 29 made it through as Guide Dogs, an accolade of paralleled proportion for this “new breed’ of Guide Dog. During this time Tegan Park and Rutland Manor continued the development and selective breeding started by Wally Conran and began infusing several other breeds into early generations of their Lab/Poodle crosses, to improve temperament, coat, conformation, and size and assist Conran in his efforts. DNA evidence of these dog breeds is still found in a few lines today, while others were bred out and not re-introduced into any other blood lines.
Currently the Australian Labradoodle is considered to be a cross between the Poodle, Cocker Spaniel, and Labrador Retriever, while the Labradoodle is a cross between the Labrador Retriever and Poodle only.
Benefits of Having an Australian Labradoodle
- They are extremely sociable, intuitive and friendly
- Calm temperament, suited to be the perfect family companions
- Intelligent and easily trainable
- Allergy friendly—their coats are non shedding
The Barksdale Labradoodle Difference
Today the “Barksdale” Authentic Australian Labradoodles are still bred toward therapy and service level temperament. We think that while aesthetics are important– the temperament remains of the utmost importance.
Potential “Forever Home” should always consider this; after all, the average lifespan is 14 to 15 years. We share the love of Labradoodles by establishing a controlled breeding program
For more information on the breed standard, here are the top qualities to look for in an Australian Labradoodle from the ALAA: www.alaa-labradoodles.com/BreedStandard.html
